Osteopath for Knee Pain
Can Osteopathy help treat Knee pain? Knee pain can be difficult as it affects your walking and weight bearing, limiting movement and independence. In most cases, you should feel better in a few days.
Common Causes of Knee Pain
Movement injuries or falls when playing sports, running injuries, or everyday tasks can cause local pain and tenderness. In this case, it is more than likely that you have either strained or torn your leg muscles. Moreover, your tendons may have become inflamed (tendinitis) or caused a ligament strain or ligament tear. Irritated or torn the shock absorbers of your knee (meniscus).
Patellofemoral pain syndrome is prevalent in runners. Ideally, the knee cap should be a smooth gliding motion over the shin and thigh bone when you walk or run. When the muscles on the outside of the thigh are tenser than those on the inside, the knee cap will move to the outside when running, causing friction and pain.
Knee Osteo Arthritis (OA) is the breakdown of the bone and cartilage, causing pain and stiffness. It is more familiar to the elderly population and can be debilitating.
How Do I Know If my Knee Pain is Serious?
Knee pain can be a symptom of many different conditions. If your knee is badly swollen or has changed shape, or if you have a very high temperature. Moreover, if you feel hot and shivery and have redness or heat around the knee, you should telephone 111 or contact your GP (NHS, 2020). Other causes of knee pain causes include tumours, deep vein thrombosis and stress fractures. In addition, nerve entrapment, lower back or hip pain referral, bakers cyst and infection, to name a few.
How is your Knee Pain Diagnosed?
It’s not necessary to see your GP to gain a knee pain diagnosis. A Manual therapist, a London Osteopath, physiotherapist or chiropractor) can diagnose knee pain more specifically. They will take an entire case history, perform a physical examination with testing, and explain what is going on, so you understand the cause of your pain. After that, proceed with treatment if appropriate.
Why Can’t I Bend my Knee?
Generally, an injured or torn meniscus generally causes pain and swelling, preventing you from fully bending your knee. A damaged meniscus is very common after landing and rotating simultaneously, causing too much pressure through your knee joint and resulting in injury. It’s typical to hear a “pop” in the knee when a tear occurs. Also, swelling and stiffness in the knee will worsen over the first 2 or 3 days after the injury occurs. You will feel like your knee ‘locks out’ or clicks when bending, and it may not straighten. Your knee will feel like it will give way without warning. A damaged meniscus is a prevalent injury whilst playing contact and dynamic team sports.
Wellthy' Clinic’s Approach to Knee Pain
At Wellthy Clinic, our Osteopath will provide hands-on treatment to reduce pressure on your knee. A postural assessment will take place to ascertain why you have knee pain. It could be a referred pain from foot pain or hip pain. After that, a combination of muscular stretching, joint articulations, and joint manipulations will be used to increase the functionality of movement and reduce pain. You will be given both muscular stretching and strengthening exercises. Cranial Osteopathy techniques can be beneficial for knee pain.
GP Medication and Referral
Paracetamol may be prescribed for non-traumatic knee complaints; however, its effectiveness has been questioned (Cochrane, 2019). Considering how your knee pain started, your GP will refer you to a physiotherapist or orthopaedic consultant. A physiotherapist will give muscular strengthening exercises for your knee pain. An orthopaedic consultant will discuss surgical options.
How Long Should Knee Pain Last?
Depending on the cause and the individual, long-lasting knee pains will take longer to recover. From an osteopath’s perspective, acute (experienced for less than six weeks) mechanical knee pain will typically resolve in 3-6 weeks. In both cases having a structured rehab plan will enable you to take control of recovery.
Can Exercise programmes help?
If the pain is not too severe, light exercise benefits people with knee OA for reduced knee pain and physical function (Cochrane, 2018). At Wellthy Clinic, we are big believers in meaningful movement, and rehab Pilates exercises are great for building strength. The stretching and strengthening exercises can help remove pressure from your knees.
Can Nutrition help with knee pain?
Yes our musculoskeletal health nutritionist specialist can advise on how best to optimise your recovery. Feel free to book a 15min free discovery call to discuss your situation and your options.
References
NICE (2017) Knee pain assessment here
Cochrane Library (2015) Exercise for osteoarthritis of the knee https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004376.pub3/full
Cochrane Library (2019) Paracetamol versus placebo for knee and hip osteoarthritis https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013273/full?highlightAbstract=knee%7Cpain
Cochrane Library (2018) Exercise interventions and patient beliefs for people with hip, knee or hip and knee osteoarthritis: a mixed methods review https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010842.pub2/full?highlightAbstract=knee%7Cpain
Matthew Glithero
Matthew Glithero is an Osteopath (MOsT), Cranial Osteopath & Pilates instructor with a background in Sports Science (BSc).
He is a dynamic Osteopath who delivers bespoke treatments aimed to reducing pain. Helping you feel better and empowering you to pro-actively manage your own symptoms.